Solid-state lighting may include one or more LEDs as a source of illumination and provide numerous benefits including, but not limited, increased efficiency and lifespan. Similar to other types of lamps, an LED lamp emits energy in the form of radiant energy and heat. The heat generated by the lamp can cause problems (such as, but not limited to, reduced lifespan and reduced lumen output). As such, proper management of thermal energy within an LED lamp may result in improved life, decrease package size, and in some cases, improve lumen output. An additional benefit of removing thermal energy from the lamp is that the lamp can be operated in a higher ambient temperature environment without compromising life or performance of the lamp.
In order to manage thermal energy, heat sinks are often used. One example of a prior art cast heat sink 10 application for LED lamps is generally described in Applicants' Assignee's co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/422,172 filed Mar. 16, 2012 and generally illustrated in FIG. 1, which is available from Osram Sylvania, Inc. (the assignee of the present disclosure). Other examples of heat sinks are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,932,532 (Pickard), WO2011/029724 (Hoetzl), U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2011/0074265 (Van de Ven), UK GB2479423 (Endelberts), EP2256403 (Sakai), U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2011/0242816 (Chowdhury), U.S. Pat. No. 7,878,686 (Suchiro), PCT WO2012/007403 (Breidenassel), and U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2008/0310167 (Zaderej).
For a thorough understanding of the present disclosure, reference should be made to the following detailed description, including the appended claims, in connection with the above-described drawings. Although the present disclosure is described in connection with exemplary embodiments, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the specific forms set forth herein. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient. Also, it should be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.